


(Sugar) We're goin' down swingin'.

by Missilepen (TheycallmeVintinneOWO)



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: 50s, Alternate Universe - High School, Bruce and selina are new highschoolers, Drug Abuse, Drug Use, Everybody Dies, F/F, F/M, Gang Violence, Gang Wars, Gertrude Kapelput must be protected, Guns, Homophobic Language, Knives, M/M, Multi, Os is a dryg/ganglord, Self Harm, ed is os's bitch, how do i even tag, jk but no really, lots of gangs. think rumblefish., sappy romance, sword umbrella!! yeeaa boiiii
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-30
Updated: 2017-11-04
Packaged: 2018-12-21 13:28:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11945229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheycallmeVintinneOWO/pseuds/Missilepen
Summary: Gangs. Lots of em.Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot was many things. A cripple. A mama's boy. A nuisance. A nobody. But now? Now he's The Penguin.A mob boss by the age of 17, Oswald Gained respect through manipulation, wits, fear, and most importantly, Fish Mooney and Victor Zsasz. Starting wars, counting bodies, shooting up gang hideouts? No problem. Surviving Highschool? Well, he's fucked.





	1. Next to the Mausoleum

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mayor_crumblepot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mayor_crumblepot/gifts).



> i was veeerrryyyy freeform with the time in this. Close to the end of more rumble-like gangs, these gangs are older, less about beef and more about turf and pimps, drug dealers, shady shit like that.
> 
> A gift for sorry_dad, author of one of my most favorite hs aus for gotham.

Two years ago. Two years was all it took for this to happen. For him to become this... this thing. Blood. So much blood, and on /his/ hands. Oswald stared at the mess of a man before him, then slowly smiled.

"Oswald? Who's at te door, dearie?" His reverie was interrupted by his mother's crooning voice.

"Just the neighbor, mom, Mr. Hayes." His own voice and it's calmness startled him. "He needs some help taking out the trash."If Maroni wanted war, he would get war. Oswald began thinking of all the ways he would ruin Sal's life as he happily dragged his messenger down the hallway.

Yes, soon, all of Gotham would know not to mess with Cobblepot, let alone his beloved mother. Soon enough...


	2. Drop a heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ed is a poor honey who needs help. Os wants to smack a bitch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> K. IM HERE. IM HYPE. IM REDI 2 TYPE

Edward Nygma. Eeeeeeeeee, Nygma. It made him smile. He truly was an enigma. He took some gel and applied it neatly to his mousy, brown hair, and he grinned at himself for a few seconds in the mirror, then realized how creepy it was. He practically felt like if he jumped he was gonna fly, he was so overjoyed. No Edward. Just Ed. No mean, snarling voice in his head, strange, almost absurd suggestions that would get him jailed or make him go ape. He wasn't ready for that yet. No, Ed's strange, neurotic tics would often get him in trouble at school, and get him weird looks. The stress he put on himself, the piles of books and assignments, the puzzles, and goddamn the puzzles. The riddles. The dovetail box that had years ago been solved, but kept as a fond memory that sat on his dresser, the wooden hoops and chains that would click in and out of place. The interlocking jigsaw puzzle. He tied his bowtie, adjusting it slight. Blue, a baby blue that made him smile, made him think of blue, faraway eyes. He knew all sorts of knots for ties and bow ties (they made him feel concentrated, like a leash) but today he opted for a simple one-ended knot. 

He was interrupted while fiddling with his bow tie by the phone ringing from downstairs. 

"Ed!" His mother hollered from the living room, probably reading an advice magazine. She always seemed to need advice, but never from Edward. No, if he made a suggestion, she would look at him as if a zebra had appeared in her living room, then she would shut herself off. "Coming!" He half-yelled, thundering down the stairs with gangly, long legs that seemed to go everywhere. He practically snatched the phone from his mother's hands as he tried to contain a huge grin. 

"This is Edward Nygma speaking."

"Ed!" The female voice full of whispering excitement made him practically melt. 

"Ed, are you coming to school tomorrow?" Ed blinked.

"O-of course, Kirsten, why wouldn't I?"

"Oh, goodie! They say an transfer student is entering twelfth grade, and you'll never guess who it is! Oswald. Cobblepot." She enunciated, then erupted into a fit of giggles. Ed wracked his brain for a split second before making the connection.

"Wait, are you talking about... The.. The penguin?" He asked uncertainly. Why was she so happy about this?

"Yes, and they say he's in homeroom 3. That's us, Ed! A gangster in our homeroom."

"I'm confused. Why are you excited about a possible mob boss possibly entering our possible homeroom this year?"

"The book, Ed!" Of course. Kirsten had been writing a gang book (She loved books,) and the main lead was the brother of a Greaser. He never stopped to wonder why there wasn't a romance, but he figured she was saving that for the second book. Best to get people hooked for a good reason, eh?

"Edward! Get off the phone, you're gonna be late for church!" His mother hissed in his free ear and he blushed slightly. 

"Sorry Kirsten, I gotta beat feet, Mom's taking me and Dad to church tonight for some reason or another. Not her usual schedule." He mumbled before saying a slightly prolonged goodbye. By the time he hung up, he felt so dizzy he didn't even notice when his father entered the room. It was a worthy feat, considering his father was a 234 lb man who was a football star in his early twenties. Now, he was the star of cholesterol and bulgy veins. A large hand clapped on his shoulder, nearly knocking him over and nudging his glasses.

"So, hotshot. Got a date?" His father's always slightly too loud voice made him wince as he straightened his glasses, then his bow tie. 

"Uh, no. Kirsten just called to tell me about... Her book." He mumbled before going to get the door for his mother, who came down in a beautiful, blue satin dress. She whispered a 'thank you' to Ed, who held the door for his slightly-more-than disappointed dad, who just half-stomped through it to the car. His mother got in the drivers seat (his father had lost his license due to a drinking problem) and Ed got in the back. Staring out the window, he sighed as they passed Kirsten's house. Every waking how there was at least one thought of "God, I miss her."

one day later.

By the time Ed got to school, the anxiety and longing was nearly over. His medication , as his doctor told him, could apparently cause such anxiety and heightened moods. His parents didn't care. They just wanted something normal back. So Ed flew through the doors of school with a rush of excitement. 

Which lead to him running straight into Tom Dougherty.

"Watch where you're going, idiot." Dougherty spat, rolling his eyes and shoving Ed before walking on. Ed braced himself against the wall, trying to get his thoughts together. Right. First period. He could do this.

"Ed!" A familiar voice squeaked. 

"Kirsten!" He turned around just in time to hug Kirsten, smiling in relief.

"Do you have the flash cards?" Kirsten pulled back , who smiled back. They had invented a game where they each made a card tower out of flash cards, and whosever toppled first, that person had to memorize the flash cards. Absolutely no one else played nor cared. It was a silly game, but it was moments like that that made Esward happy.

"Hey, Kirsten!" Dougherty's voice rang through the halls , and apparently he was back. Great.

"Oh-h, Hey Tom!" Her smile faltered for a moment, but then she turned to embrace him in a kiss that the two clearly enjoyed for a good two minutes. By the time they pulled apart, Ed was nowhere to be seen.

 

When Ed got to his first class, English, the room was nearly full. He opted for a seat in the middle which turned out to be a bad choice, since an odd character now stared him down from in front of him.

"Hi?" Ed's anxiety picked up on the quaver in his voice and began humming through his veins. The boy that sat in front of him didn't say anythng. Then, he turned around, and that was that. Apparently the new kid didn't like him. Wait. New kid, Odd?

It had to be him.

The Penguin.


	3. Break a name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things concerning oswald.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im trying to maybe go the two pov's this fic. Bear with mme please. Figuring out plot and shit. Trying to update on fridays. homophobic language lies ahead. be warned , ye.
> 
> k i l l m e

Oswald straightened his jacket, staring at the cowering boy before him. 

"4. 4-fucking-Am. " He emphasized each word with a loud "THWACK." from his umbrella, treating the student's back like a rug that he was beating.

"You get my people pissed enough to call me at four in the FUCKING MORNING about a shithead like you?" He shook his head. Why was he so angry? Because he had gotten two hours of sleep. But still, he could usually conttol himself better than this. He handed the bloodied umbrella to one of his thugs, and walked off, shrugging on his overcoat.

Today was gonna be a looong day.

By 6am, Oswald was at the bus stop. He hated every second of public transport he had to endure, but it was a nessicary evil. He barely had enough money to put food on the table, let alone get a car and pay for gas and insurance. So he put up with having to sit in the very front to avoid getting mauled on his way off the bus by people trodding on his awkwardly large, deformed feet. He remembered the day he had broken it like it was yesterday.

It hurt like hell.

Thankfully, his school district was part of his turf, so he didn't think he'd be spending English with the Maniax, or the Sirens. The only reason he had even bothered to come back to school was that Gotham was cracking down on truants, and someone without a highschool diploma was garuntee not to get a job that was worth something. Sure he could sell drugs, do hit lists, hell, he could wash cars, but all that and more doesn't get a disabled gang leader and his mother easy living.

The moment he got off the bus, the tension in his shoulders left. He hobbled inside, garnering more than just a few odd stares as he studied his map intensely, circling his classrooms and places he would scope out. 

"There's gotta be an easier way to do this." he muttered. Finally the bell rang, and he found himself almost crowdsurfing along the rush of students as the time went by. Reaching his class, he was surprised to find only a few of the students were there, either lingering to chat or sitting and getting ready. He chose a fairly inconspicuous chair in the third row.

Almost immediately someone sat behind him. He whirled around instinctively (which was extremely awkward seeing as he was sitting down) and stared down the perpetrator. And then he realized that the kid was supposed to be sitting there. Guiltily, he turned back around again, ignoring his small "hi." He felt kinda bad, but not really. As class went on, he felt a pair of eyes trained on the back of his head and his eye twitched. What was this kid's problem? He turned around slightly to glare at him, and the guy immediately dropped his head and blushed, staring hard into his lap.

For some reason, that made him feel bad. He didn't know why he himself was getting flustered, let alone why his cheeks were beginning to flame.

At last, the bell rang. Freedom! Oswald limped out into the hall, determined not to be late for his second class.

"Hey freakface!" Oswald whirled around, about to threaten/tell off/murdrer whoever had called him out, then he realized that it wasn't directed at him.

"Leave me alone, Dougherty."The voice, small and nearly unrecognizable almost slipped from Oswald's attention. Then, he realized who it was. The kid from earlier.

He was not going to be late.

Just as he was about to move on, 'Dougherty' turned to sneer at him.

"Whaddya think you're looking at, faggot?" Dougherty had no apparent qualms with making enemies of a potentially dangerous stranger.

"Someone incredibly lacking in the cranial department?" Dougherty balled up his fists and started towards Oswald. Great. He jerked his head towards the exit while staring at the kid. The kid nodded, startled, and walked away quietly. Now, thought Oswald, if only I could too.

By now Dougherty was right next to him, snarling empty threats and clenching his fists. Before he got too close, Oswald thanked the stars for his particularily pointy boots and kicked him right in the crotch.

And then he ran. Well, he tried to run. And he did run, he ran straight into Vice Principal James. Who was currently chewing out the kid. James turned lke lightening, his hand in a vice grip around Oswald's arm.

 

"And where do you think you're going in the middle of class, young man?"

"Detention?"

_____________________________________________________

Oswald slumped even further down in his seat. The only people in afterschool detention were him, the kid, some freshman who skippped school to get tickets for a rock concert, and the sleeping teacher.

"Sorry about that." The kid whispered from beside him, staring dully at the wall ahead of him. Oswald blinked.

"Wasn't your fault. That jock's got some serious beef with you, huh?" He murmured, not daring to look at him. "I'm Oswald."

"Y-yes, the pengui--I mean, uh. I'm Edward." Edward stuttered. Oswald memorized the name, glancing at him for the first time since they got detention earlier in the day.

Edward was exceptionally tall, with gelled brown hair and glasses that perched on the edge of his nose that he kept pushing up. He wore a baby blue bow tie, and immediately Oswald found himself beginning to grin.

This kid was cute.


	4. Always sleeping in and sleeping out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward and Oswald find themselves together during lunch, and Kirsten is mysteriously gone.
> 
> tw: Internalized homophobia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM HERE. WAT AM I DOING
> 
>  
> 
> also i am really sorry for not updating last friday. im gonna try to update biweekly instead so i can write more and have more time.

After detention, Edward rode home on his bike in silence, contemplating this new person in his life. He was short, strange, and indeed a gang leader, though he didn't talk much about it. It seemed he liked to keep his business and personal life seperate.

Of course when he got home his father yelled. Of course it didn't stop. Of course his mother went up into her room to cry. Of course all Edward could do was stare blankly.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you, you disrespectful little-" Then, just like that, something (his father's fist, as he learned later,) hit his head. And then he passed out.

When Ed woke up two hours later, it was dark. He was on the floor by the living room couch right where his dad left him. He picked himself up off the floor and examined his glasses. They were alright. This time. Sighing, he went up to his room and quietly got ready for bed. He could hear his parents arguing from the next room, so he turned the radio on to a jazz station he liked and got in bed.

Tonight was gonna be a long one.

 

________________________________________________________

The next day, Kirsten wasn't at school. But Oswald was. He even offered for Edward to sit with him at lunch. The only other people with him were Gabe and a new kid Edward had't seen before.

"Edward, this is Selina. Selina, Edward." Oswald supplied helpfully through a mouthful of sardines. Gabe looked like he was going to vomit. Ed was far away enough to just vaguely smell it. Selina waved a gloved hand at Ed, and he smiled brightly in return.

"Enchante, Selina."

"You're kinda nerdy. I'm surprised Oswald is hangin' with ya." She said bluntly, and Edward considered this. Yes, he was rather nerdy. Yes, he too was surprised Oswald was hanging out with him. He shrugged. 

"Edward is my friend." Oswald said, a tense smile on his face. This also surprised Ed. He didn't really think that Oswald would be friendly towards him so soon, let alone admit it. Perhaps the guy just didn't like Selina that much. But it wasn't his business, so Ed shrugged the thought away. Instead, he poked at his strange avocado sandwich his mother had made. He really wasn't a huge fan of avocado in general, but it seemed to be all his mother bought. He sighed, and then took a bite out of it. Ew.

"So, Ed. Do you want to study some time over the weekend? It appears I'm falling behind in science." Ed's mind started to buzz, and the voice he had suppressed for so long came to surface.

~Do it.~

It wasn't exactly the usual negativity, but Edward knew something was not right. He chose his words carefully. "I would like to, but Kirsten told me she was planning a study date for Saturday." Oswald felt his lip twitch at the word 'date'.

"Oh. That's okay. Maybe some other time." Edward nodded in relief, but still felt slightly guilty that Oswald was so obviously dissapointed. Later, after lunch, Selina approached Ed in the hall.

"How may I help you Ms. Kyl--"

"If you're not interested in him, just tell him. Os has a tendency to get attached to things he can't have."

Edward shook his head, confused. "N- I don't know what you- I mean, I'm not a-- I'm not queer." He stuttered. Selina shrugged and rose an eyebrow.

"Then tell him. No use hurting his feelings. And you don't want to either." 

Edward spent the rest of class worrying. Worrying about dissapointing Oswald, worrying about Kirsten, worrying about whether or not Oswald was gonna try something on him, worrying about his father finding out. But mostly worrying about Oswald being dissapointed.

~Worry worry, little one. It won't change anything. You're so scared of being friends with a pansy when you're probably one yourself. After all, you can't seem to get the girl, huh? Kirsten? What's happened to her, anywa--~

"Shut up.". He whispered. He was scribbling math problem answers at a rate almost as fast as his anxiety was running through his veins.

~You know I'm right.~

And he did. As much as he hated it, he did.


	5. The wrong team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirsten does an ( ( appear ) ) and Edward gets pissed. Oswald gets his hopes up.

Oswald sat on the comfy leather chai-- no, throne, and surveyed the new recruits before him. "So you think you're good enough, huh?" He smiled that startling grin at them. None of them moved an inch from where they stood, militant, solid. Victor did always have good taste. He waved to one of his lackeys, and made to whisper in his ear. When the lackey looked up, he stared at him dead in the eye. "Kill them."

During the bloodfest, Oswald's phone began to ring in the next room. "I'll get it." He told the lackey gleefully. The man just spat blood in a glass and swung his bat at an oncoming recruit.

"Edward! How lovely to speak to y--" 

"We need to talk, Oswald."

"Buuut we are talking."

"In private. In person. Not at my house. I need to get out." Oswald nodded and then realized you can't hear nods through a phone. "U-understood."  
He gave Ed the Van Dahl estate address. His mother, while lovable, was a bit loopy. Oswald was inclined to thnk ahe thought every woman -- and occasionally man was a hussie that had come to take away her son.

Later, at the Estate, Edward had arrived promptly with a very (pardon the pun) straight face. Oswald was smiling, but his nerves tangled and wound up in another lump in the bottom of his stomach. "Hello, Ed. Have a seat." He gestured to the armchair beside him. Edward immediately sat. "Os-Oswald. I need to tell you something."

~So you're just gonna end him like this, make him drop all hope?~

Ed shook his head and Oswald furrowed his practically nonexistent brows.

~You like him. You like him, you're attracted to him. You're a little fag, aren't you? No matter how good you hide, no matter how fast you run, you can't esacape it. You. Are. Gay.~

"My father beats me."

The words came out in a tumble, and Ed immediately covered his face with his hands. He felt his cheeks go red and his eyes burned with tears. He didn't even know how he felt. Embarrased? Ashamed? Scared?

Oswald let out a breath. He stared into his lap for a moment. He didn't begin to imagine someone so closly related to you... treating you like... 

Nothing. Like you were nothing. Because Ed was something to him, and now, now.... He wasn't sure what to do.

"Ed?" Oswald said gently. Ed peeked from behind his hands, and his eyes were puffy and red. "Can I touch you?" Immediately sirens started wailing in Ed's head.

~You idiot. Relax, what are you so afraid of? 'Fraid he's gonna turn you gay? Too late, buddy.~

Barely visible, he nods. Oswald moves closer, and hugs him. Gently, but the hug is warm and Edward feels as though he is going to melt in his embrace.

Oswald knew Ed wasn't saying the whole truth, that there was something almost guilty behind his words. But he shrugged it of any closed his eyes.

Because this? This was love.


	6. *drum solo*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ed and Os spend more time confessing, and Os helps Ed out with some things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi. pls kil me.i want to die this is so late. A MONTH. IM SO SORRY ( ￣ □ ￣ ; )

They sat for quite a while until somebody rapped at the door. Oswald let out a deep breath. "Not now." He muttered, which was barely audible.

"Boss, I don't have bat ears. And this is like, really important."

Oswald resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Great. Now Ed was gonna start asking questions. The two of them grew immeasurably close earlier, and now Victor had to blunder in--No, Victor didn't blunder, he gracefully interrupted like a motorboat in a duck pond.

"I'm sorry Ed.-"  
"No." He held out his hands. "It's no problem. People get busy, that's okay."  
Oswald nodded gratefully. Hobbling over to the door, he yanked it open and closed it gently, and Edward let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Victor-"  
"I know boss, and I'm sorry. But this is really important."  
"What could be so importan-"  
"The sirens are on our turf. Taking things that ain't theirs, chopping people they don't like."

Oswald went silent, his fists cenching and unclenching as if he were ringing Barbara Keane's neck himself.

 

"They. They will pay for this! Dearly!" He spat out and Victor just nodded. "You want me to find Babs and Tabs? Teach them a lesson about playing with other people's toys?"

Oswald shook his head. "No." Victor rose a brow. "We play nice. We wait it out. When their gaurd is down, we snatch all they love from them." He made a very expressive snatching motion with his gloved fist. Victor just nodded. He liked to think he and Oswald had somewhat of a mutual understanding of each other. They didn't too much, though. Oswald gave the orders, Victor just carried them out. 

It was almost funny how they ended up. Oswald was Fish Mooney's umbrella boy, until he started spying on her for Falcone, a crooked cop, and eventually she destroyed his car. He took her out with Victor, his 'buddy.' Oswald was on the scene, and weirdly enough, hugged the hairless assassin immediately. And then was drenched in blood.

Apparently Mooney didn't like Oswald too much, and let him know whenever she felt like it. With her gone, Victor took pity on Oswald and helped him rebuild Mooney's Empire, but this time, Oswald was in charge. He had a few connections, blackmailed a few 'friends,' and he was on his way to the top. Not even Maroni could stand against him now. This was his fight. 

And Victor let him have it.

"Now. Tell Ms. Keane that I'll meet her tommorow at 5pm for dinner. At my place. Let her come armed, s'not like we can stop her. Be vague. If she refuses, we go to her." 

Victor nodded for what felt like the zillionth time, and stared at Oswald as he retreated back into the study with Ed, and then he went off to do whatever it was he was gonna do.

"I'm so sorry about that, Ed." Oswald sighed.

"It's okay. I should probably go-"  
"Ed? If you need... anything. Anything! Let me know, okay?"

Suddenly Edward was hugging him, and Oswald's jaw almost went slack. And then he smiled. Ed... Ed liked him.

It was a feeling that only came from being around Victor or his mom. Acceptance, true acceptance and love in their most glorious form. It had him giddy and light-headed, and even when he went home, talked to his mother, did (some) homework, and left again, he felt like he was walking on air.

Meanwhile, Edward was not having the best of times. His parents were out for a date, and he had tried calling Kirsten. Suffice it to say, she was less than focused. In fact, she almost snapped at him when she told him she couldn't come over. It made Ed feel deep down, maybe she knew he had befriended Oswald. It was absurd. But maybe, just maybe.

The next day at school, Oswald was painfully late for his first class. And his second class. Finally, when lunch rolled around, he got swept up in the crowd of hungry, greasy teenagers and tumbled out of the rush somewhere in an empty study hall. Great. He was going to waste time he could be using to eat lunch with Ed. As he was about to turn the corner into a slightly more busy hall, he heard something.

Giggling.

Oswald was not a very trusting person in general. He didn't easily gain favor or look to strangers for help. So when he heard laughter combined with breathy sighs, he was naturally on edge. Whirling around he spotted a couple in the doorway of a locker room. He relaxed, then narrowed his eyes. It looked like the girl Ed so obviously had a crush on... Kristie? No, Kristen. Whatever. He crouched behind a coat rack and listened in, not knowing why exactly he was here.

"Hnn... Tom, I'm gonna be late-"  
"It's fine. What, are you meeting someone?"

The kissing continued, but with less laughter.

"No. It's not like that, Tom. How many times do I have to tell you?"  
"Somehow I don't believe you." 

There was more hushed arguing which Oswald started to tune as he started thinking, then-- SMACK.

"Bitch!" A disgusted sounding 'Tom' hissed, then stormed out of the hallway, not even glancing at Oswald. He watched Kirsten cry in the corner, her face red as he began to contemplate. Yes, he could work with this.

。。。。

As Ed worked on his homework, he found himself writing and rewriting the same problem over and over again. It wasn't that he was stumped, it was that he was so distracted that his mind went on auto-pilot. It was for this reason that it took him a moment to hear the telephone ring from downstairs. Snapping out of his daze, he scrambled down the steps, breathless. "Hello?"

"Ed!" Edward exhaled. It was Oswald. Not kirsten. Oswald.

"Yes? I believe we just spoke earlier, is something wrong?"

"Not at all." Ed could hear the smile on the other end.

"On the contrary, I think I have a solution to some of your problems."


End file.
